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John Rabe

Name: John Rabe
Genre: Drama, History, War
Released: 2009-04-02
Cast: Ulrich Tukur, Dagmar Manzel, Steve Buscemi, Daniel Brühl, Zhang Jingchu

2009 | 134 min | Drama, History, War

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With almost no lasting buzz and a box office loss, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Aimed squarely at anyone interested in what war does to people and anyone who likes knowing it really happened. It puts you in the middle of the fighting, and doesn't let you forget the cost. If you loved Hacksaw Ridge or The Last Samurai, start here. Based on real events, so expect to go down a research rabbit hole afterwards.
The mood: Harrowing.
The pace: Character-first and patient, at 2 hr 14 min.
What might put you off: It's in German, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
Not the one if you want explosions or easy laughs.

A true-story account of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38.

How it earned its rating

CriticsSolid
74% on Rotten Tomatoes, 57 on Metacritic
AudiencesSolid
Our audience score: 61%
AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
Box office & staying powerBelow par
$2 million worldwide on a $20 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 24K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Florian Gallenberger

Ulrich TukurJohn Rabe
Dagmar ManzelDora Rabe
Steve BuscemiDr. Robert Wilson
Daniel BrühlDr. Rosen
Zhang JingchuLangshu
Teruyuki KagawaPrince Asaka Yasuhiko
Anne ConsignyValérie Duprès
Gottfried JohnDr. Oskar Trautmann
Mathias HerrmannWerner Fließ
Tetta SugimotoNakajima Kesago